Israel - 47.72
108
The closest thing the modern world has to Apartheid South Africa
From a scoring perspective, Israel functions as two countries. The lives of Israeli Jews are fundamentally different from those of Israeli Arabs. Largely as a result of the porous border between Israel and the West Bank, Palestinian-identifying Arabs often find themselves in areas administered by the Israeli government. This results in frequent unrest in Jerusalem and other areas along the border. Peaceful protests and riots alike are often violently dispersed by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), frequently resulting in civilian casualties. The Israeli occupation of the West Bank remained a contentious issue. The State of Israel sponsored the demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank to be replaced by houses for Israeli settlers. Journalists attempting to cover the occupation were often intimidated and protests against the occupation were brutally suppressed. Thirty-one Palestinians, including nine children, were killed during raids on their homes. Discrimination against Arabs in Israel is systemic. Israel’s actions against the Gaza Strip were also of significant concern, as Israel carried out dozens of airstrikes against targets in the Gaza Strip, several of which struck civilian infrastructure, many killing civilians. One such airstrike was targeted at a residential building that housed dozens of residents of Gaza City as well as the Al Jazeera offices for Gaza. Residents of the building were given only one hour’s notice to evacuate. Israel also maintains an illegal naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, which blocked vaccine shipments during the pandemic and vital shipments of food for a largely barren region incapable of growing enough food to sustain itself. Israel is effectively engaged in an on-again, off-again war with Gaza and continues to commit rampant human rights violations against its residents. While Israel’s actions against Palestine are of significant concern, Israel’s achievements are also noteworthy. Israel scored as the freest country in the Middle East as well as its strongest democracy. Israel’s economy is significantly more stable than the Middle East’s petrostates, relying primarily on high-technology manufacturing and finance. Israel is far and away the most culturally progressive country in the Middle East, lacking the repressive laws found in its neighbors. Also of note is that Israel is the highest-scoring country to finish with a negative score in a category, meaning that Israel’s penalties in that category had a higher absolute value than its score. Israel finished with a negative ten in actions abroad, largely as the result of Israel’s claim to Palestine and their suspected possession of illegal nuclear weapons. The dichotomy between Israel’s first-world status and its continued mistreatment of Palestinians makes for an interesting case and a powder keg in an already volatile region.
Important Note: The Standard of Living Index recognizes de facto control and does not make comments on the legitimacy of a given state, only on the territory that it actually physically controls. The Standard of Living Index does not recognize the legitimacy of the State of Israel or the State of Palestine over the other. Areas administered by the Israeli government are scored as Israel, while areas administered by the Palestinian government are scored as Palestine.
Human Rights - 16
Israel has functionally abolished the death penalty; the last execution was carried out in 1988. The death penalty has been abolished for ordinary crimes. Israeli police and soldiers committed unlawful killings, in some cases tantamount to war crimes, primarily against Palestinians. Police killed thirty-one Palestinians, including nine children, during searches of their homes. In one instance, police shot and killed a nine-year-old boy for seemingly no reason. Israeli soldiers opened fire on farmers and fishermen in the Gaza Strip on several occasions, injuring seventeen total. Israeli police were quick to resort to violence in dispersing riots at the al-Aqsa mosque., Palestinian worshippers barricaded themselves inside the mosque. When Israeli riot police arrived attempting to flush worshippers out of the mosque, worshippers threw stones and a chair at police. Police fired rubber bullets and threw tear gas grenades into the mosque and the situation quickly devolved into a riot, resulting in two hundred injured Palestinians and seventeen injured police officers. Israeli police opened fire with live ammunition into a crowd of protestors in the West Bank resulting in three hundred and seventy injuries. Israel also dropped tear gas canisters via drone into crowds of protestors on several occasions. Israel responded with excessive force to several protests throughout 2020. Tear gas canisters and smoke grenades were fired into crowds of largely peaceful protestors and on one occasion Israeli police fired a tear gas canister directly at a runner participating in a legally organized, peaceful demonstration. Despite Israel generally allowing for freedom of assembly for protests not related to its occupation of the West Bank, Israel arrested over 1500 Palestinian protestors and has threatened to “hunt down” even more. The government is known to threaten journalists, politicians, and activists calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Israel also issues travel bans and several activists are banned from traveling to the Occupied Territories, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, or Egypt. Israel launched dozens of airstrikes against targets in the Gaza Strip, killing dozens to hundreds of civilians dujring the year. These airstrikes repeatedly targeted residential buildings in major cities, including a building housing apartments and the offices of Al Jazeera Gaza City. Residents of the building and Al Jazeera employees were only given one hour’s notice to evacuate the building. Israel illegally holds 4300 Palestinian in detention in Israeli prisons without charge or trial. The families of these detainees were not allowed to enter Israel to visit their families in detention. The IDF is known to torture Palestinian detainees, especially those connected to Hamas. Sleep deprivation is known to be the preferred method of the IDF. Palestinian detainees are frequently tried in military tribunals rather than civilian courts. The Israeli government demolished over eight hundred homes in the occupied territories of the West Bank, evicting a total of 996 people. The Israeli government also participated in punitive demolitions of Palestinian homes, demolishing six homes and evicting twenty-two people. Punitive demolition constitutes collective punishment, which is illegal under international law. Israeli settlers could petition the government to have Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem evicted from their homes. UNOCHA estimates that eviction orders are pending against over two hundred homes, housing over eight hundred residents. The vast majority of Israel’s ethnic Arabs live in one hundred thirty-nine towns and cities. These cities disproportionately receive low amounts of funding. Adalah reports sixty-five discriminatory laws against Palestinians in the Israeli legal code. The government has repeatedly rejected the establishment of schools teaching in Arabic or run by ethnic Arabs or Muslim organizations. The government has claimed that these schools would undermine the “Jewish character” of the area. Israel has a mandatory draft for all Israeli citizens but is currently engaged in an active war against Palestine (the mandatory draft will not count against Israel’s score). A legal gender change in Israel is possible but it is administratively difficult. Israel allows unregistered cohabitation and recognizes foreign marriage licenses, but same-sex marriages are not performed outside of Tel-Aviv Yafo. Abortion is legal to preserve the physical and mental health of the woman, as well as in cases of rape, incest, and fetal impairment. Additional permissions make abortion de facto legal for anyone who requests it.
Democracy - 74
The president and prime minister are elected by the Knesset. The prime minister holds the most executive power. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been in power for several years as an unelected interim before being ousted in the 2021 elections. Israel saw four elections in two years. The country was trapped in a political deadlock as Netanyahu had been elected prime minister but had failed to form a government. After several attempts, the government formed a coalition consisting of Zionist parties and centrist-secular parties. The coalition’s only common ground was seemingly a shared desire to oust Netanyahu and Prime Minister Bennet was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Israel. The Knesset is directly elected. Elections are generally free and fair. Parties and candidates that “deny Israel’s Jewish character,.” “oppose democracy,” or “incite racism” are prohibited. The law is primarily used to shut pro-secession candidates out of the Knesset. The law was used to bar ZIonist candidates from running in 2019 after they called for the genocide of Palestinians. Arab and Muslim voters are disenfranchised in many areas. Israeli settlers in the West Bank have full citizenship rights whereas Palestinians in the occupied territories do not.
Freedom - 63
Israel generally allows free assembly for protests not advocating for Palestinian independence or removal of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Despite this, Israel mass arrested over 1500 Palestinian protestors and made a promise to “hunt down” hundreds more. Israel responded with excessive force to several protests throughout 2020, as tear gas canisters and smoke grenades were fired into crowds of largely peaceful protestors. In one instance, the IDF fired a tear gas canister directly at a runner participating in a peaceful, legally organized protest. The government has repeatedly rejected the establishment of schools teaching in Arabic or run by ethnic Arabs or Muslims. The government has claimed that these schools would undermine the “Jewish character” of the area. All news organizations must submit publications for review before being published. The vast majority are fully approved, but 1973 were partially redacted and 202 were fully censored for “security concerns” in 2019. Prime Minister Netanyahu allegedly used his dual role as Prime Minister and Communications Minister to threaten and coerce media outlets into positive coverage. If true, this action was illegal and Netanyahu is currently on trial for having allegedly committed this crime. The desecration of the Israeli, American, and several other flags can bring severe fines and light to moderate jail sentences. This law including the American flag is especially ironic as flag desecration is protected speech in the United States. The 2011 Boycott Law opens Israeli citizens advocating for a boycott against the State of Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories to civil lawsuits. The law primarily targets calls for boycotts on social media. Judaism is the official religion of Israel and while freedom of religion is guaranteed, Muslims face harassment in many parts of the country. Israel is currently in the process of decriminalizing marijuana for recreational use. Marijuana is already legal for medicinal purposes. All other drugs are illegal, most with steep sentences. Israel may issue gun ownership licenses for semi-automatic handguns and bolt-action rifles. A specific reason is required for self-defense purposes.
Economy - 77
Health - 78
Israel has a life expectancy of 83 years and an infant mortality rate of 0.25%. 26.1% of Israelis are obese and 2.5% are malnourished. Israel’s universal healthcare system is one of the strongest in the world, boasting world-class care throughout the country. Running water access in Israel is complicated, as while most residents of Israel proper have access to clean, running water, most residents of Occupied Palestine lack access to clean, running water as less than four percent of tap water in Occupied Palestine is drinkable.
Corruption - 45
The trial of former Prime Minister Netanyahu on corruption charges continues. The investigations allege that Netanyahu received cigar boxes and cases of champagne valued at over $125,000 from Australian businessmen, worked with Israeli media mogul Arnon Mozes of Yedioth Ahronoth for positive coverage and that Netanyahu promised positive legislative changes in favor of Bezeq in exchange for promises of positive coverage and bribes. This trial has dragged on for some months by now. Red tape is a major obstacle in public services, as public services are often needlessly slow without being bribed. Land rights are not adequately protected and Israeli settlers can petition for the eviction of Palestinians from their homes. Public contracts are nearly impossible to obtain without bribery. Media, technology, and finance companies all have very close ties with the government and the outgoing Netanyahu administration was infamous for its corruption.
Competency - 21
The Palestine Liberation Organization controls large amounts of Israel’s claimed territory. The government is failing to protect the country’s Muslim minority, which faces discrimination in many parts of the country. The Occupied Territories are severely underprovided for, as less than five percent of tap water in the Occupied Territories is drinkable. Corruption remains rampant at all levels of government. Israeli received a ten-point penalty for large areas of its de jure territory falling under the control of a third party (Palestine). Israel received a five-point penalty for its partially recognized status, as Israel is not recognized by the majority of the Arab League (prominently excluding Egypt and Jordan) and is not recognized by many Organization for Islamic Cooperation nations (prominently including Indonesia and Pakistan).
Future - 33
The outbreak of war and increased tensions during 2021 do not look good. Israeli-Palestinian violence has been part of a growing trend of tension between the two countries. Israel’s political deadlock is likely to continue as the current ruling coalition is united by very little other than a mutual hatred for Netanyahu. Israel’s conflict with Iran poses significant security threats to the country, as Iran has repeatedly demonstrated a disregard for international law or the whims of other nations. However, Israel and Saudi Arabia’s mutual enemy in Iran has aided in normalizing relations between Israel and the Arab League. In addition to a slight warming of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, several countries have made moves to normalize relations with Israel. Morocco agreed to recognize Israel in exchange for American recognition of Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara. The UAE and Sudan agreed to recognize Israel after receiving large foreign aid packages from the United States. Bahrain recognizes Israel and has moved to normalize relations. Qatar has agreed to recognize Israeli visas for athletes, crew, and tourists during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Actions Abroad - -10
Israel is the highest-scoring country to fail a category. Israel is suspected of possessing an illegal nuclear arsenal. Israel claims the de facto nation of Palestine. Palestine is recognized by the majority of the world, aside from the United States, Canada, most of the European Union, and bizarrely, Cameroon. Palestine has its own government and is a de facto nation (refer to the Important Note at the top of the page for the Standard of Living Index’s stance on the Israel-Palestine debate). Israel maintains an illegal blockade over the Gaza Strip. Israel has blocked trade and aid shipments to Gaza, including vaccines and vital shipments of food for a region that is not capable of supporting its own population. Israel has deployed drone strikes and bombing raids to Syria and Lebanon. Both were in response to rockets fired from the area by militants, and Israel will not take a penalty for these actions. Israel bombed the Port of Latakia in Syria, the country’s main port. Latakia also serves as Russia’s access to the Mediterranean as well as a major entry point for weapons shipped to Syria by Hezbollah and Iran. The animosity between Israel and Iran over the Persian Gulf has increased as Iran has threatened Israeli, American, Japanese, and Norwegian shipping vessels in the area. The two countries have been engaged in a proxy war for several years and Iran is generally the aggressor. Israel’s relations with most non-Western nations are tense and generally hostile. Israel subsidizes pilgrimages for Jews living abroad to visit Israel. Israel received a ten-point penalty for its claim to a de facto nation. Israel received a ten-point penalty for its illegal blockade of a foreign country. Israel received a ten-point penalty for its suspected illegal nuclear arsenal. Israel received a five point penalty for withholding vaccine shipments from a foreign country.
2.7% of Israelis live below the international poverty line and 21% live below the national poverty line. Israel has the highest poverty rate in the OECD. 7.8% of Israelis are unemployed. Israel has a high economic disparity. The minimum wage in Israel is $6.98 per hour. Israel’s universal healthcare system is one of the strongest in the world and all citizens and permanent residents are provided with free coverage. The Israeli economy shrunk 2.4% in 2020 and grew 3.5% in 2019.